Heist Dos-Punto-Cero
by Darthkvzn
Summary: The Avengers can wait a little bit - Scott has to track down that last bit of Cross Particle serum HYDRA managed to take. He's not alone, though. Between his heist crew, his ants, his mentor, and his new partner, it should be a piece of cake. Too bad no one gave HYDRA the memo. Part of my Marvel Universe! Rated for minor adult situations and violence. UNDERGOING REWRITE
1. Chapter 1: (Re)Introductions

**I _know_ I shouldn't start a fic so soon after I just did my summer clean-up, but I couldn't resist. There are too few crossovers for Ant-Man and Avengers right now! Kudos to my fellow writers, by the way. I can just tell some excellent fics will appear in the next few months. Special shout-out to QueenPersephoneOfHades, who's been nailing the Ant-Man stories so far. Love your work!**

 **Alright. This, as usual, is part of my Marvel Universe. That means all Marvel movies, except for the first Hulk, most of Iron Man 3, and whatever comes after Ant-Man (including the second post-credits scene on both that movie and the one in Avengers: Age of Ultron) apply, as well as the works I've written on it so far. Pairings are all canon.**

 **Again, this takes place about two weeks after the movie's events, so obvious SPOILERS abound. Enjoy! - Darthkvzn**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything but plot elements and characters not previously owned by Disney or Marvel.**

* * *

Scott Lang liked to imagine that, when it came down to it, the Ant-Man would be remembered for his heroic deeds, and not for being the superhero equivalent of Tom Cruise in that heist film. Considering both his first _and_ second mission under the helmet were turning out to be glorified robberies, however, his hopes may or may not have been rapidly dwindling.

-"So, I'm going to steal some shit. _Again_." -he said, dryly.

Those assembled around him snickered. He smirked; his motley crew had really come through in the mission to take down Cross, unlikely though it may have been.

-"Yeah, but now we stealing from the bad guys, bro. Feels kinda good, eh?" -said Luis, elbowing Hope.

-"I wouldn't exactly know." -she deadpanned.

Luis realized his mistake, wincing for a split second. Then he went back to his usual cheery self. "So, what're we grabbing again?"

Hank Pym, who'd been watching the exchange with a knowing smile, raised an eyebrow. "Darren's serum made it into HYDRA hands, though, fortunately, not the Yellowjacket suit, nor the procedures necessary to impede the serum from turning you to plasma instead of just reducing your size."

Hope nodded, pointing to the projected image, which showed a base hidden beneath a cabin in Yellowstone National Park. "Without that data, it'll take them a long time to reproduce Cross's results, let alone getting another working armor prototype to actually make use of the serum. We're denying them the chance to even try it."

-"As you know, HYDRA is even a thorn on the Avenger's sides, so we're playing this mission as safely as possible. And that means the Ant-Man isn't going alone." -said Hank.

Scott frowned, while Luis beamed. "Dude, we hirin' that Falcon guy?" -he asked excitedly.

-"I can't imagine he likes me very much. Plus, Avengers do what they want; I don't think you can hire them." -said Scott, grimacing. He'd done a number to that pricey suit of his, after all. And, y'know, possibly embarrassed him in front of his super friends or something like that. "Wait, what do you mean I'm not going alone? Don't tell me you're putting a suit, old man?" -he asked amusedly.

Hank shook his head. "No, Scott. As I said, I cannot 'suit up' anymore. But that doesn't mean the Pym family will give up its heroic legacy." -he smiled wistfully.

Scott blinked, then comprehension dawned on his face. "You mean...no _way_." -he breathed.

Hope smirked triumphantly. "Gentlemen." -she said, pressing a button on her laptop, "Meet the Wasp."

A schematic was shown, then, of a similar suit to Scott's, albeit with a clearly feminine figure, and a different-yet-familiar color scheme and design. The most notable feature, however, were the two pairs of huge wings attached to its back, giving the suit wearer the ability to fly.

Scott looked on in awe, while his friends nodded approvingly.

-"Nice design. Very attractive." -said Kurt. Dave, however, was a bit more forward. "That shit's hot, man"

Hope shot her a glare, but eventually resigned herself to nod. "I'm sure I can rock it. What do you think, Scott?" -she asked expectantly.

The former burglar snapped out of his reverie. Before he drooled, thankfully. "I _thought_ Ant-Man looked cool as hell. Now I feel kinda upstaged." -he snarked.

Hope swatted him playfully. "Don't worry. I'm all for equality, so you're getting a couple of upgrades, too. Wouldn't want to leave you biting the dust in your second mission." -she said with a smirk.

-"Considering how big dirt gets in our line of work, I guess I'm pretty thankful." -he said, wrapping his arm around her.

A simulated cough came from the elder Pym, an eyebrow raised. The remaining three teammates watched on, amused. "...right. Now, if you're done romancing my daughter, I'd like you and your audience to follow me down to the lab." -the scientist ordered, and so they did.

* * *

Following the events at Cross Technologies two weeks before, Hank had done a remarkable job of upgrading the lab, modernizing the Cold War era equipment, and diving madly into the considerable effort of improving the already impressive tech that made up the Ant-Man.

Scott's suit was laid out on the table, but it looked a little different; instead of the shiny leather that made it look kind of like a biker's outfit, it was now a dull, matte shade, and the conduits that distributed the Pym particle serum, and the energy required to activate them, looked considerably reinforced.

-"Now, with a few days free of an incoming apocalypse, I had the time to improve the old suit. I'm sure you can notice a few differences." -said the Doctor.

Luis raised his hand, eagerly. "It's not very shiny now!" -he said.

Hank smiled, wryly. "Good eyesight, Luis. The matte-like finish comes from the new material of the suit. Kevlar and Vibranium weave, over a form-fitting, flexible body suit made from Plasteel. It should feel a little less tight, give you a lot more freedom of movement. And it's obviously much safer now. Small arms should be no problem, now. The helmet is upgraded, as well. I added a state of the art Heads-Up Display, which will show you everything from mission objectives to ant numbers and types in the immediate area." -he explained.

Aside from Kurt, it looked like no one really understood much. "I thought Vibranium was off market." -he said, frowning.

Dr. Pym winked. "Wakanda doesn't sell it anymore, no. The Hulk's temper tantrum made their already closed-off behavior worse. But I made friends with the current King's father in the eighties, and the young man has fond memories of me, so he allowed me a small amount of the metal. Enough to better both Scott's suit, and Hope's."

Hope, who'd stayed behind in the Wasp suit's vault, came in tiny, shifting to full size before their awed eyes. Her faceplate lifted, revealing her smug expression. "It _was_ about damn time."

Luis looked around ready to faint. "Do _we_ get one next?" -he asked eagerly.

Hank shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I can only produce enough serum to maintain two suits. Also, the Vibranium has all been used." -he said, apologetically.

Scott frowned. "For a king, the guy's kind of a cheapskate, isn't he? I mean, the suits can't use all that much...can they?" -he asked.

The old man tapped his beard. "They're no flag-themed shield, no. And, well, I actually used most of the metal on someone you might recognize." -he said, nodding to a small terrarium.

Scott narrowed his eyes, looking through the magnifying glass. Then, he gasped, as he recognized the insect inside. "Ant-tony!?" -he said, and the small creature seemed to wiggle at being mentioned. Scott turned to Hank, baffled. "How!?"

Dr. Pym smiled widely. "She was rescued, after she fell. Your friend seems to be very resilient, not to mention loyal. But, as you can see, she's not above injury. The bullet did a number on her; she lost two legs, a mandible, and her right wing. The remaining Vibranium was used to make the prostheses. And some armor to match them."

Scott, who'd tuned him out after the first few words, cocked his head. "Wait, Ant-tony is a she? I thought it was the male ants that had the wings." -he asked.

Hank nodded. "The males and the _queens_ , Scott. Ant-tony, in particular, is the queen of one of the colonies you command. And I do believe she's eager to take flight again." -he suggested.

Scott rushed off, taking the suit with him. Kurt shook his head, disbelieving. "I cannot believe you did all this for ant. How long will she even live for?" -he asked.

Hank shrugged. "Give or take 20 years. She's young. And armored, now."

Hope smirked softly, patting her old man in the cheek. " _You_ are such a sap. And the best dad in the whole world."

Dr. Pym smiled, softly. Not for the first time, he thought that maybe, just maybe, the risks his beloved daughter was about to take on were worth it. And, y'know, those of his likely future son-in-law.

Though, to be fair, those were a little more on the amusing side of the spectrum.

* * *

 **I couldn't bear to leave Ant-tony behind, sorry. I don't actually know its gender, but I prefer to think of that ant as female. More awesome female characters could stand to appear on the MCU! I think Vibranium is kind of plot armor, but I promise not to abuse it. The upgraded suits will stop bullets, but not, y'know, rockets and other powerful weapons. Those are just mitigated. As an odd tidbit, I did research the average lifespan of an ant. Yahoo answers says the record is 29 years for a black ant queen, so I think 20 years is fair.**

 **I'll endeavor to update this story every week, though fair warning, I've only got this chapter so far, and I've got a lot more fics to take care of first. Short chapters like this one should be manageable, I think.**

 **Oh, and Plasteel is made up. By me, I mean. It comes from another fic, and was invented by Hiro Hamada. Long story!**

 **What did you think? Cool? Not? Feel free to tell me all about it! See you next time! - Darthkvzn**


	2. Chapter 2: Best Laid(back) Plans

**I couldn't resist! I had to keep going. Welcome to chapter 2. Some references to my Marvel Universe in this one!**

 **Enjoy! - Darthkvzn**

* * *

Scott wasn't a kleptomaniac, thankfully. That didn't mean, however, that he wasn't very good at stealing. In fact, he was one of the best. Among the underworld communities that discussed the high profile criminals, he'd been one of the top cat burglars in the nation, only below some guy who actually called himself Black Cat, all the way out in Manhattan.

There were many stages to a heist of course, but planning it was definitely his favorite. Not executing it, since that's the part that could get really messy, really fast. Like it had at Pym Tech, for example.

-"Fortunately, HYDRA base security is rather basic. No more complicated than breaking into a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, if my scenarios are accurate. It's the muscle hired to guard it that you really have to watch out for." -said Hank.

Scott grimaced. "I really don't like the violent part of this job. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll punch the lights out of a bad guy, but I'd rather keep myself unseen."

Hope smiled. "Assuming everything goes to plan, it should be that way. Seeing as we're dealing with neo-nazi terrorists, however, we should be prepared for a fight." -she said, then opened her palms in a certain way, making small, conical metal rods protrude from her wrists. "These are the Wasp Stingers. They emit lasers of variable output, so I can do anything from giving tiny, annoying burns, to cutting through a solid sheet of Titanium."

She then demonstrated the technology by shooting a yellow beam at a nearby wall, which immediately scarred it black.

Scott whistled. "Those seem incredibly useful. Which means I'm not getting them, huh?" -he asked dryly.

Hank smiled. "Quite right, Scott. The Stingers are for the Wasp only. Since Hope won't be ordering any ants around, to avoid confusing directives, I figured it was only fair. Besides, you'll also be getting a new ability soon. Once I work out all the kinks, that is."

Scott sighed, resignedly. "Fine. Back to the plan, then." -he said.

Hope nodded. "Yellowstone National Park is, naturally, enormous. We don't know the exact size of the base, yet, since signals are lost after a certain depth, and the ants tend to avoid going too far down, due to the volcanic activity in the region causing higher than average temperatures below ground. The facility is protected against this, of course, but not the ducts and machinery powering it."

Scott pursed his lips. "We'll be on our own after a few levels, then."

Hank shook his head. "Fortunately for us, the serum is being kept in a vault inside the second level. It's guarded by a legion of guards, and there are about a dozen scientists just waiting to study it, but the ants should still be of use in the mission."

-"So, this mission sounds way too easy. What's the catch?" -he asked.

Hope rolled her eyes. "If you weren't right, I'd say Dad's paranoia is getting to you. The base is slated to receive a visit from the illustrious Madame Hydra. Also known as the Viper. She's an enhanced, so she'll be tough to get past. Or fight, if it comes to that."

Scott gulped. "How enhanced are we talking, here? She's not a big She-Hulk or something, is she?"

Dr. Pym chuckled. "No, she's not. The Viper's enhancements seem to be more akin to the Black Widow's. Enhanced durability, accuracy, strength...not on the level of Captain America's supersoldier status, but still very dangerous. It would be wise to avoid a fight with her. She recently escaped custody, after being caught by Rogers about two months ago."

The thief furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Alright, then. Entry's easy enough. Keeping out of security's field of vision should be a piece of cake, now that I know your camera tricks. Avoiding the HYDRA head is top priority. What about the vault?"

Hank walked over to the cryo-container, and pulled out a vial full of blood. "The vault was stolen from a S.H.I.E.L.D. installation called The Fridge. It used to house all sorts of advanced weaponry and dangerous individuals on prolonged cryogenic storage, before the agency's downfall. The particular vault you'll be breaking into was designed by Howard Stark, so, while I have the utmost faith in your thieving abilities, it'd be impossible for you to crack in the time required for you to safely exit the base."

Hope continued, a ghost of a smirk in her expression. "Stark Senior was about as paranoid as my Dad is, though, so he installed a backdoor method of forcing the lock either open or closed - by using his blood in a quick DNA test. He gave Dad a sample a couple of months before he passed away, just in case, and he's kept it in storage all this time."

Scott blinked, surprised. " _Wow_ , I'm glad I didn't experience the Cold War. You're like, two steps from wearing a tinfoil hat."

Hank walked over, then rapped on the side of the Ant-Man's helmet. "It wasn't tinfoil, but I sure got a hat." -he said, smiling. Scott rolled his eyes, but allowed a small smile. "I hope you didn't lose practice with Ant-tony, because you're leaving in about two hours."

Lang blinked twice. "Wait, what about Luis, Kurt, and Dave? What will they be doing?" -he asked indignantly.

Hank waved his hand dismissively. "Enjoying a Mango Blast, or whatever that slurry from Ben & Jerry's is called. And providing your distraction _and_ your extraction, of course. Now go, spend a few minutes with Cassie. Ant-Man will be in the air at 0930" -he ordered, sternly.

Scott resisted the urge to salute, bolting to a tiny size and riding Ant-tony away. Hope smirked. "You don't have to be so stern. He already knows you don't approve of him defiling your dear daughter."

Dr. Pym closed his eyes, paling. " _Don't_ remind me, Hope. And don't let him get too sidetracked." -he said bleakly.

Hope kissed her old man in the cheek, before flying away with a laugh, as well.

* * *

 **Ok! So, a dilemma that's not really a dilemma. This movie mostly takes place in San Francisco, as that is where Pym Tech is located, as well as the characters live. However, this fic is part of my Marvel Universe, which means Big Hero 6 is in as well. This means San Francisco would actually be San Fransokyo, and would be somewhat familiar with the concept of superheroes since the aforementioned team has been operating for about two years by the time Ant-Man takes place. It doesn't really change anything that I replace the city, so that's what I'm going with. I hope that isn't an issue for you! San Fransokyo is really the same, just a bit more technologically advanced. So, shinier.**

 **Anyway, that's this chapter! I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time, in which we find out that the best laid plans tend not to survive very long. Bye bye! - Darthkvzn**


	3. Chapter 3: On Your Left(overs)

**Hey! So, I figured, since I have Ant-Man very fresh in my mind, still. I'll write this story as quickly as possible, then get back to my older stories. It's just so fun to write!**

 **In this chapter, we get our first look at antagonists, and at the larger plot of this fic. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Flying atop Ant-tony (and boy, how he enjoyed having his favorite ant back), Scott couldn't help but think of what a shame it was that such a beautiful place as Yellowstone had a bit of a HYDRA infestation.

-"Approaching entry point in five." -said Hope, surprisingly nervous.

-"First mission jitters, huh?" -asked Scott, knowingly.

Hope hummed shakily. "The Pym Tech job involved only a handful of guards and a deranged CEO. Or, at least, it was supposed to be. This is...a little different, to say the least."

Scott chuckled. "Replace the CEO part with a green-haired neo-nazi woman. And add to the number of guards, maybe. Probably."

The Wasp shook her head, incredulously. "Are you telling me you're not the least bit nervous?"

-"Oh, I am. Loads, in fact. But, after fighting Cross for the sake of Peanut, I learned that outrageously crazy things like the one we're about to do get a little bit easier to bear if you add dry wit to the equation." -he said.

Hope snickered. "Still full of shit, I see." -she said, then she cocked her head after a couple of moments of silence. "Peanut?"

Scott smiled under the helmet. "Cassie's nickname. Y'know, since she's small as a pea, and the daughter of a nutjob."

The Ant-Man narrowed his eyes in satisfaction when he heard the fit of laughter over the radio. Distraction, accomplished.

-" _Scott, you're over the entry point. Couple of guards, so stay alert._ " -said Hank on the comlink.

Commanding Ant-tony to hover, Scott surveyed the area. It was a rather large ledge on the side of one of the many mountains in the park, where a simple log cabin was being guarded by two men, dressed as park rangers, yet heavily armed. Scott raised an eyebrow at the odd image, wondering how nobody had figured what was wrong.

-"Two men, armed with M16's. I think I see underslung grenade launchers, too." -he said.

-" _Noted. Luis and Dave will arrive in 30 minutes, so set your timers accordingly._ " -said Pym. Scott did so, then turned to Hope. "You ready?"

She nodded, diving forward. Scott followed close behind, sticking close to the ground. They passed the massive form of one of the guards between the feet, and arrived at the door, slipping easily underneath. The two walked to a nearby shadow, cast by a coat hanger by the entrance.

The large room was mostly devoid of furniture, save for a pretty, blonde young woman typing idly at a computer behind a counter, who probably controlled the secret door to the secret base. Villains were predictable, that way. Scott nodded to Hope, and they flew closer, landing at the girl's feet. Under the keyboard, there was a gun, fully loaded and ready to fire.

-"Look. A fingerprint lock leading underground." -pointed out Hope, noticing the cable and the opening on the floor they could use to sneak inside. Scott nodded, and asked Ant-tony to follow behind.

Crawling around the cabling was awkward (someone hadn't done a very good wiring job), but eventually they reached the ceiling of the next level. The first true floor of the facility looked rather typical of an evil organization, thought Scott: gray, drab, and devoid of any personality whatsoever. Ant-Man had half a mind to blow it up, and he was sure Hope had the other half, hearing her disgusted snorts over the comms. Still, they weren't here for that. Hopefully, they'd be able to get in, grab the vial, get out, and anonymously tip off the Avengers to the location of the HYDRA base, no weapons fired.

Scott brought up the nearby ant numbers on his HUD; two relatively small colonies had set up shop around the base. He smiled, and caught their attention, asking them to come. That's how he'd found them willing to help - instead of ordering them around, he simply requested their assistance, gave them the general idea, and they filled in the blanks. Soon enough, ants started to swarm all around him, and he directed them towards every security camera, careful not to make the massive ant march too obvious.

Hope smirked at Scott's mastery of the fine art of ant wrangling, and flew beside her, having done some scouting work ahead.

-"Hey. I found a way into the Vault room. Ran into a spider, though, it scared the hell out of me." -she said, idly fingering her wrists.

Scott grimaced. "Oh, yeah. Ants are cute, but spiders? Those are just...creepy. They don't even growl, or anything. Just, absolute silence. And those beady eyes…" -he said, recalling his own experience with a Daddy Long-Legs during his training, which he was still particularly embarrassed about.

-"Shut it, Lang." -she threatened. Scott put up his hands in surrender, then mounted up on Ant-tony, who'd merely been watching the exchange.

Wasp flew point, Ant-Man trailing close behind her. Hope took him to what looked like a server room, then to a light socket which had fallen slightly into disrepair, evidenced by the snapped plastic. "This is our way in. It leads to an armory right beside the vault room." -she said, then squeezed inside. Scott followed, kicking the opening a little bit wider so that Ant-tony could pass as well.

Another short trip through shoddy wiring later, the shrinking duo found themselves at a grate, where they could see about six soldiers in combat gear with the tentacled skull symbol, and an unknown individual wearing a navy blue hood and dull gray armor over more cloth of the same color as his hood. He was strapping a combat knife to a well hidden compartment in his shoulder plate - the guy screamed _dangerous_.

The soldiers were mostly silent, checking their weapons, but one of them, looking younger and inexperienced, nervously asked the man in the hood. "Sir, what do you think is happening? It's not the Avengers, is it?"

The hooded man pulled what looked like a _sword_ of all things from a locker, then a couple of pistols, and a crossbow he strapped to his back. He chuckled dryly, which made Scott notice the man used a voice distorter, because that voice sounded _way_ too otherworldly and cold to be his own.

-" _ **It's not the Avengers, no. No Quinjets have departed the Manhattan area in the last thirty minutes, so we're safe from them, kid. Most likely an impending attack by S.H.I.E.L.D. I wouldn't worry about them. You've got me, so if it's at all unfair...it's for them.**_ " -he said, patting his shoulder. The young man relaxed, but the heroes were left looking at each other, deeply unsettled.

-"Just who is that guy?" -Scott asked. Hope shook her head, clearly at a loss. "Another enhanced, possibly?. He certainly seems to think a lot of himself. Dad, you got this?" -she asked, tapping the side of her head.

-" _I did. The man in the hood sounds familiar. And that means he must be very dangerous. Steer clear of him. The Wombat Crew has been advised as well._ " -Hank replied.

Hope breathed. "Right. On with the mission."

The duo flew, all the way to the top of one of the lockers, behind which there was a crack wide enough for Wasp and Scott to pass through, but not Ant-tony. "I'll go on ahead. You keep me posted on what the Hood over there does." -said Hope. Scott pursed his lips but ultimately gave her a thumbs-up.

While Scott got busy monitoring the situation, Hope passed through the crack, amusedly reminded of countless sequences in adventure movies where the protagonists scrape against the walls of a tiny passage. After a considerable amount of huffing and puffing, Wasp got to the other side, finding the vault room empty. As there were no cameras or any sensor equipment inside, she shifted back to full size, then signalled her father so that the distraction outside could commence.

Outside the base, dozens of tiny packets of C4 had been placed on the bases of trees surrounding the log cabin, which began turning full size and detonating in a random pattern so that the base's commander would think it was under attack. Dull _boom_ sounds made it through to Hope, who smirked to herself listening to the muffled cries of alert inside the base, then got to work on the vault.

Ironically enough, she had to input a wrong code three times, after which the system would hard lock. Then, to access the DNA testing mechanism, she had to use a specific sequence within a set time frame. Doing it perfectly (of course), she opened the vial of blood, then poured a few drops on the needle that popped up. Binary code streamed through the old fashioned display, and then the vault door opened.

As soon as Hope opened the vault, Scott noticed that the hooded man had just turned and was looking in his direction...and that he not only had a cool hood, but a wicked, skull-themed white mask with glaring yellow 'eyes'...currently staring right at his own dull red lenses.

-"Oh crap." -said Scott _and_ Hope, at the same time.

While Scott was having the mother of all staring contests with creepy-mask dude, Hope had found what the vault contained: the vial of Cross serum, a _second_ Yellowjacket suit...and a damaged robot, hanging from wires like a puppet.

Hope's stomach dropped. What HYDRA wanted with an Ultron drone, she had no idea, but she had a feeling it might be _slightly_ out of her and Scott's league.

* * *

 **I always thought it was a little unlikely that every Ultron drone was eliminated. He made loads! And since Ultron is perhaps my favorite villain in the MCU (right up there with Loki), I thought including a nod to him would be the coolest. As for Viper, well, she's one of the HYDRA lieutenants. I mention her in First Contact, where Cap captures her, which is referenced in this chapter. Just for cohesion's sake!**

 **Alright! On to chapter 4! Any questions or suggestions? - Darthkvzn**


	4. Chapter 4: Things! Excitement! (Allies?)

**Warning you now: I'm not good at writing action scenes. Which is kind of ironic, given that I tend to write superheroes. Hopefully, what little action there is in this fic (so far) will tide you over until I manage to find my warrior muse. At any rate, enjoy! - Darthkvzn**

* * *

-" _ **You're very short.**_ " -was all the masked figure said. He made no move, not even reaching for a weapon or a radio.

Scott crossed his arms. "Thank you. I guess."

-" _ **It wasn't a compliment.**_ " -he replied, still eerily unmoving.

Ant-Man shrugged. "Not with _that_ attitude, it isn't. What's your name, Reaper? Maybe Death? You look kind of...murdery."

The man cocked his head slightly. " _ **The Taskmaster will do. I assume you've got one, hero?**_ " -he asked sarcastically, his hand finally moving to rest on the pommel of his sword.

Scott blinked under his helmet. "Really? Taskmaster...I thought...with the hood, and the mask…weird. Anyway. I'm Ant-Man." -he said, striking the arms crossed, standing sideways pose he'd been developing ever since that debacle with Falcon.

It was hard to tell with the mask, but Scott thought the Taskmaster seemed unimpressed. "I didn't choose the name, ok? It's...kind of a hand-me-down."

-" _ **Oh, it's not that. I can respect an heirloom title, I suppose. I was just wondering why the hell bug names are so popular these days.**_ " -the man said, shrugging.

If Scott had been expecting a big, narcissistic monologue, he was sorely disappointed. Aside from the generally menacing appearance, the Taskmaster appeared no more willing to fight than he was.

-"So, uh, nice place you guys got here." -he said, idly.

-" _ **You're very new at this, aren't you?**_ " -the masked man asked amusedly.

Scott shrugged. "A month, tops. What, am I doing something wrong?" -he asked, bracing himself for surprise attacks.

-" _ **Not wrong, per se. Unusual, more like. Most so-called heroes try to punch the villain first, ask questions maybe. What, is your girl the violent one?**_ " -he asked jokingly.

For a split second, Scott's stomach dropped, thinking Cassie was in danger. Then he remembered he wasn't alone in this mission, and nodded. "Kind of, yeah. I'm the sneaky type. Not pulling it off very well right now, clearly."

The Taskmaster shrugged again. " _ **Don't beat yourself up. No one's ever gotten past me and lived to tell the tale.**_ " -he said casually.

Scott pursed his lips. Relaxed demeanor or not, this guy clearly meant business. "So, are we going to be the first, or is this going downhill as fast as I think it is?" -he asked coolly.

-" _ **Depends.**_ "

-"On what?" -asked Scott, somewhat shakily.

-" _ **How big the pockets on that suit of yours are, obviously.**_ " -answered the man.

Scott groaned.

* * *

Wasp groaned. Her first time in the suit, and already she was going through a dilemma.

The yellow vial she pocketed quickly; the brand new Yellowjacket suit shouldn't be too hard to transport either, once she got Scott to shrink it, and Ant-tony to ferry it. It was the drone that was making things complicated.

She, like most of the world, had been horrified by the destruction of Sokovia. She'd followed the action, seen every shaky cam footage the natives had been able to take, because she was the daughter of not one, but two superheroes, and she knew better than most the odds they'd been facing. And those odds had been terrible. That they'd gotten off with only relatively minor injuries and two new rookies to boot, well, those chances seemed astronomically low. And that was even before Stark had issued the statement to the press on what Ultron had been capable of.

It was hard to believe, really. A little less so in the presence of even one of his simple drones, but Ultron had been, for a week, the most dangerous 'being' on the planet. The robot before her sort of resembled a human skeleton - a thick, metallic rib cage, relatively thin extremities, and a head much like a skull, with two antennae, which protruded from either side of its head, and an open maw and dull, empty 'eyes' - creepy enough to unnerve _her_. Other than the Avengers, few people had met the AI, but it was very clear this robot, produced en masse, was intended to exterminate.

-" _Hey, Hope? You're pretty rich, right?_ " -asked Scott over the comms, bringing her out of her musing.

Hope frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? Get in here, we have a situation."

-" _Yeah, no. Busy at the moment. Please tell me you can spare, like, 100K. I'll pay them back. Somehow. Someday._ " -he said, a little frantic.

Her eyes almost bugged out. "A hundred _thousand_ dollars!? What the hell do you need that much for? Besides, Dad's the really rich one, not me." -she said, shaking her head in confusion.

-" _Ohhh...alright, I'll let you know in a few how the deal goes._ " -he said. " _What_ deal!? What are you talking about?" -she asked, but the man didn't answer.

Hope resisted the urge to punch _something_ out of frustration, then calmed down. She was still in enemy territory, so it really wasn't the best time to gripe about terrible partners.

-" _Hey! Good news, we have a new ally. Sort of._ " -said Scott. Hope could feel her forehead starting to throb. "New ally. Of course. We are in a _covert mission!_ Why are you making friends? Aren't you supposed to be a frickin' master _thief_!?" -she shouted into her comm.

Just then, the door to the vault room started to open, and she cursed, turning small again. Half a dozen HYDRA troops poured in, led by a very attractive woman (barring the fact that she was as pale as a corpse), wearing a skin-tight leotard-like green outfit, which complimented her dark, green-tinted waist length hair.

Diving for cover, she stood in the crook of the Ultron drone's neck, atop between some of the wiring. _My God_ , she thought _, I'm hiding inside a murderbot._

-"The formula is gone! Search every inch of this building, find the intruders, and bring them to me! _No_ one toys with Madame Hydra and lives." -she boasted.

Hope smirked, despite her situation. Villains, it seemed, had one thing in common: a massive ego she might just use against this particular one.

* * *

-" _ **Transfer's gone through. You are a very lucky Ant-Man.**_ " -said the Taskmaster, easing his vaguely threatening stance.

Scott shrugged. "So I've heard. What's the next step?" -he asked.

The mercenary cocked his head. " _ **You tell me, you're the one who just paid for my services.**_ "

Resisting the urge to facepalm (helmetpalm?), he nodded. "Right. Well, we're here to steal the particles HYDRA managed to get from Cross Technologies a couple of weeks ago. I think my partner's already got those..." -he trailed off, beginning to wonder if telling the man whose allegiance he'd just bought the plan was the best idea.

-" _ **Did she disable the silent alarm? Let me answer that for you. No, she did not, because I just received the notification. Your girl's about to run into some unexpected company.**_ " -he said casually.

Scott gulped. "Damn it. Right, we're going to help her, then. You sure you're ok fighting against the people you were chummy with earlier?" -he asked the masked man.

-" _ **Of course. So long as you don't expect me to kill them, that is.**_ " -he said, shrugging.

-"Aww, does someone have a heart under all that creepy get-up?." -Scott teased, mounting up on Ant-tony.

The Taskmaster actually chuckled. " _ **Please. You just didn't pay the necessary rates.**_ "

Scott made a point to keep the chatter at minimum, after that. Maybe Hope did have a point in calling him out on making friends with psychopaths on a stealth mission. Who knew?

* * *

Hiding in the murderbot turned out to be a great idea. Apparently, the thing unnerved the HYDRA goons just as much as it did her. Well, except for the Viper, who remained frosty even as she inspected the thing closely. Which is, of course, how she was forced into her first fight in the costume. Against a person, and not an arachnid, that is.

Before the HYDRA leader could see her, Wasp flew up, making a fist and punching her square in the jaw, with as much force as she could put behind it. Being an enhanced human, Hope figured she could take the bullet-force punch, and she was right; the Viper flew about ten feet backward, slamming into one of the three henchmen left guarding the vault room.

The remaining two goons left standing instantly brandished their weapons, searching for their invisible assailant. Hope didn't give them a chance to use them though, firing her Stingers at one of the gun's triggers, then the other, rendering them useless as anything but a club. She then turned regular size again, slamming both troop's head together, taking them out.

-" _You_." -said a female voice behind her, making Hope grimace. She really ought to have checked that the Viper had stayed down.

-"Sure, let's play the pronoun game. Me. Your turn." -she said, turning and pointing her Stingers menacingly.

Madame Hydra narrowed her eyes slightly, staring down at Hope from behind the barrel of a modified pistol. "You're the Wasp. And yet you're not. Inherited the title, did you?" -she said, removing the safety.

-"You look _way_ too young to know who I am, so I'm assuming you're older than you look. Hopefully not as slutty as your outfit suggests." Hope answered, ignoring the Viper's question.

The green haired woman grit her teeth. "Dead it is, then. Say good-bye, _Kleine_. A Wasp's sting is nothing compared to a Viper's bite." -she said, then she fired.

Hope, who'd predicted this, shrank down, feeling the bullet, which was somehow _green_ , pass a mere inch from her reduced form. Recovering from the turbulence, she flew to the woman's abdomen, where she delivered a quick one-two combo. The Viper grunted in pain, but recovered quickly enough to retrieve an item she'd hooked at the back of her belt.

The Wasp managed a small 'What the-' before the Viper snapped at her general position with a _whip_ of all things. Now, a whip might've been an unwieldy weapon, but Madame Hydra was a master with it; add to that that the attacks were unpredictable enough, and you had a lethal combination. On top of even that, the whip produced a sonic boom, which could, and did, do some damage. Hope flew, slamming against a wall with a grunt and leaving a small, pebble-sized crater in it.

-"You are not so talented a fighter as your predecessor, _Fräulein_. Perhaps, it would have been best that the mantle of Wasp remain...shelved, _nicht wahr_?" -the woman asked haughtily.

Wasting no time in rhetoric, Hope flew upwards, shifting back to normal size and delivering the mother of all uppercuts to the Viper's chin, who in turn flew backwards a couple of feet. The Wasp then unleashed her Stingers on the woman's neck and the right side of her face - not lethal, but stinging as hell.

The Viper shrieked in pain, clutching at her now burnt face. Only one of her green eyes remained visible, but the one was enough for Hope to know that, if Madame Hydra hadn't intended to kill her before, she certainly wanted to now. Still, the villain's callous disregard of her own abilities in comparison to her mother's had incensed Hope to a point she didn't much care about that.

-"First of all, quit it with the accent. It's as fake as your damn hair color. Second, I earned the _hell_ out of this suit and my title. And third...snake bites might kill you faster, but wasp stings hurt a hell of a lot more, bitch." -she said, then kicked the woman straight in the face, knocking her out instantly.

-"Wow. That's, like, unhealthily sexy." -said Scott, walking into the room with the hooded stranger in tow.

Hope rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you now. _Don't_ go there. Who's your friend?" -she asked, warily.

-"Oh, Taskmaster, meet the Wasp. Wasp, meet my easily bought friend, Taskmaster." -he said.

The man with the skull mask merely nodded. Hope sighed. "Right. Well, no offense, but I don't know that we can actually trust you, so I'll keep my Stingers trained on you." -she said. Taskmaster shrugged. " _ **None taken.**_ "

-"See? He's cool. We're cool. Is that Ultron?" -he asked meekly.

Hope nodded. "An Ultron _drone_. And a spare Yellowjacket suit. We're gonna have to take these back with us, we can't just leave them here." -she said, then turned to the mercenary. "You're seriously ok with this?" -she asked skeptically.

-" _ **HYDRA paid me peanuts for this detail. Your boyfriend here came up with actual cash, somehow, so I'm good**_." -he said, casually.

She crossed her arms. "Fine. Scott, get Ant-tony to carry the shrunken Yellowjacket, I'll sever the Ultron drone for you to shrink as well. Taskmaster, uh, stand guard, I suppose." -she said uncertainly.

-" _ **All hostiles have been accounted for. I'll restrain the Viper and guard our exit.**_ " -he said, then walked off, dragging the unconscious villainess with him.

Hope turned to Scott. "We are having a long talk about this, Lang. Now, let's get done with the mission. I am in desperate need of a bubble bath." -she said sternly, even as she knew the thief was most likely smirking cheekily beneath the helmet.

Damn the day she'd fallen for that idiot. And damn herself for not being able to stop.

* * *

 **Like I said, suck at writing violence. Still, I'd like to think I can manage some banter here and there. What did you think? Did I waste two cool villains? I think their usage in this chapter kind of sounds like what would happen in the Ant-Man section of the MCU. They're not major bad guys, in the grand scheme of things. This isn't the last we'll see of Hope's new enemy or Scott's new...ally, at any rate, so there's room for change if you guys truly need it. Tell me what you think about it! Until next time. - Darthkvzn**


	5. Chapter 5: Backstory (Ga)lore

**I won't lie, this is hella plot heavy. No action to be found here, and, regrettably, no cool Taskmaster lines either. Instead, I give you Hank's story with S.H.I.E.L.D., and the whole reason for his distrust of the Avengers. I just spent about four hours researching and writing, so I do hope you enjoy! A few characters from the comics to be found here, and of the extended MCU as well. - Darthkvzn**

* * *

-"So, let me get this straight: you successfully infiltrated the HYDRA base, cracked the vault, beat up a few crooks and actually managed to subdue the Viper, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top 10 Most Wanted." -said Hank.

-"That sounds about right." -said Hope.

Hank turned to Scott. "And you...found a new friend. Or rather bought one. With my money, I might add." -he said, dryly.

Scott grinned. "Yup."

Doctor Pym resisted the urge to sigh. "You're a credit to the uniform." -he said.

-"Why thank you, Hank." -he said, oddly proud.

-"Not you. Hope. You're...something. I still can't decide what." -he said. Scott pouted. "Really, all I did was make the mission easier." -he muttered.

Hope rolled her eyes. "Right, because it was too complicated to begin with. We could've taken them by ourselves, Scott, if we had coordinated better. Now we have an unknown mercenary on a fragile alliance with us based on money on our backyard." -she said.

-"I mean, better on our side than theirs, right? Besides, Viper was easy. I don't know that we could've taken the Taskmaster. You didn't see him in action." -he said, frightfully remembering how easily the mercenary had taken out nearly three dozen troops, compared to Scott's ten.

Hope seemed about to scoff, but put up her hands in surrender. "Fine, just, try to communicate with me, okay? You're not a solo act anymore, Scott. We're in this together, right?" -she said, looking into his eyes.

Scott gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Right. I'm just...sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I'll do better next time." -he said, then pecked her on the corner of her lips.

Hank coughed again. "I _will_ have you banned from this household Lang." -he threatened jokingly. Then he sighed. "As much as I (and my wallet) hate to admit it, Scott's right. The Taskmaster is no mere thug. In fact, I know much better than that." -he said.

-"How so?"

Hank reflected for a few moments before answering, staring right into Scott's eyes. "The Avengers - Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Thor...all of the them are individuals with special abilities, talents normal people are simply not born with. As far as the public knows, these kinds of individuals have sprouted out of nowhere in the past couple of years, but...I was a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant for almost nine years, Scott. All through the eighties. Before that, I studied Quantum Physics and Chemistry for five at their Academy. And so, I know better. 'Enhanced', as they call them these days, are old news for the agency. In fact, they've been around at least since World War II, possibly before. Same goes for the Avengers - the Initiative was first conceived in the late sixties."

Scott processed this, his mouth slightly agape, while the old doctor fished a few files from one of his new cabinets. It was very thick, marked with an older version of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, marked classified in big red letters, which covered up the title and subtitle.

'AVENGERS INITIATIVE - JUNIOR AGENT NICHOLAS JOSEPH FURY'

-"Even at the young age of 18, Nick Fury was already looking to the future; he'd taken the lessons on the Red Skull's HYDRA to heart, seen how badly we would've been outmatched if not for Captain America's creation. He knew that some threats...well, they required a bigger counter than the agency had available. The idea resonated well with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders, especially Stark and Carter. They'd been best friends with Rogers, after all, and seen firsthand just what a single enhanced could be capable of. And so, they started searching." -he said, then opened the folder and fished out the image of an unfriendly looking young man, head shaved and a prominent scar running diagonally on his face.

Hank shook his head, sadly. "They didn't have much luck, seeking special individuals on the outside. And so, they chose one of their own. Frank Payne was a decent enough agent, though not too noticeable. He did not have many friends, as I'm sure you can guess, but he did have one, and a close one, in Nick Fury. The young agent proposed his friend as the first candidate, and the heads of S.H.I.E.L.D. accepted. Howard equipped him with state-of-the-art weaponry, in the form of kevlar and steel armor, and two electrically charged titanium whips. He was given the codename Constrictor, and sent on missions no agents would dare take under normal circumstances. The man succeeded, though not without cost." -he said.

Scott, who was reading the man's file, scowled. "I'd guess as to what the cost was, but I can see it right here. The power went to his head, and he turned villain." -he said. Sure, the report had bigger words, but that was the short of it. Payne had turned bad guy once he'd seen just what he could do with his shiny new suit.

Hank nodded sadly. "It took the lives of nearly a dozen men and women to bring him down. And despite all this, the Avengers Initiative was considered a success, pending, of course, a few modifications. Fury had underestimated the value of teamwork, of having equals at your side who could keep your flaws in check. Payne became the first living being to be stored in the Fridge, and Nick Fury was promoted. That's where Janet and I came in." -he said gingerly.

The thief felt slightly voyeuristic, reading Janet van Dyne's personal file, but Hank _had_ handed him the file. It didn't matter, in the end, as Hank talked about it himself. "Janet van Dyne was, ironically, my worst enemy in S.H.I.E.L.D. You see, the Sci-Tech and Operations Academies had this big rivalry going, and she and I were at the forefront of this conflict, I being the brightest mind, and her being the most talented operative of our generation. For years, we kept the hatred going, until one day, we realized that all along we'd been falling in love." -he trailed off, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Hope was glassy eyed, too, presumably not having heard much of this. Scott, as was becoming tradition, felt quite out of place in the sentimental atmosphere.

Hank cleared his throat, then continued. "We married, soon enough. Thank goodness that fraternization rules only applied if you were both in the same sector of S.H.I.E.L.D. Eventually, I completed my longer than normal education - the Pym Particle and the Ant-Man suit were my 'thesis', so to speak. This brought me to the forefront of attention by the agency's heads. It's how I met Howard and Peggy, and how I got involved in the Avengers Initiative."

"At first, I was only involved in a technological capacity, alongside an aging Stark, and a recently defected Soviet scientist, by the name of Anton Vanko. They were both brilliant engineers, easily equals in their fields. I was a physicist, but had studied almost an equal amount of Chemistry, which I'd used to invent the Pym Particle Serum. Basically, they invented the technology, and I made sure it would work. The Avengers Initiative was kick started again, and this time they chose a team of three: Barbara Morse, Marc Spector...and your new friend, Anthony Masters."

Scott blinked. He pulled out all three relevant sections from the file, and reviewed each as Hank kept on. "Spector used to be a marine, turned CIA operative, and then mercenary. During one of his missions, he was killed near a presumed alien artifact, which resurrected him and gave him enhanced abilities."

"Morse was a biochemist, also studying at S.H.I.E.L.D. Sci-Tech, though a couple of years younger than myself. Once made an agent, she was tasked with recreating the Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America. She did not manage to exactly replicate it, but she did create a slightly less effective version, and volunteered to use it. She did not gain superhuman abilities, as Rogers did, but her body was now nearing peak human status. Unfortunately, any other attempts to repeat this process were met with gruesome failure, and Morse was left the sole beneficiary of her formula."

Scott paled as he saw images of the failed experiments, which looked like something out of a zombie movie. Or maybe Frankenstein's monster on a bad day.

-"At this point, I'm inclined to believe S.H.I.E.L.D. is as much of a nightmare factory as HYDRA was in its prime." -he said dryly.

Hank sighed. "I like to believe that we did what the world needed...but you're not wrong. Masters was yet another victim of this. He used to be the top S.H.I.E.L.D. operative of his own generation, a gifted athlete, and a charismatic young man; then he was chosen for yet another experiment to recreate Rogers, one more focused on the subject's mind. It changed his, alright - he was gifted with the ability to automatically perform whatever moves he saw, no matter how complicated. This incredible talent came with a catch, however."

And Scott knew, having been reading the man's file, interested in just whose allegiance he'd temporarily bought. _Subject displays mild signs of non-essential memory loss. Subject's condition steadily worsening, seems to erase any memories not related to combat and survival_. The list went on, but he got the gist of it. "His mind would trade learning the moves for his memories." -he said, sadly.

Hope gasped, horrified. "That's insane. He was kept in the field despite that?" -she asked.

Hank nodded. "If anything, he was a much better asset, not held down by emotional baggage at all, obeying Bobbi's commands easily and without question. I noticed his strange behavior, of course, but it wasn't until I joined the Initiative in a fighting capacity that I knew why. If not for Jan's insistence, I would not have stayed on."

-"Why _did_ you join, at any rate? Weren't you just on tech support?" -asked Hope, voicing Scott's own curiosity.

-"The Initiative worked well, at first. The three were experts at stealth, reconnaissance, and hand-to-hand combat. But, unlike the highly public modern Avengers, they were essentially spies. Their operations could be disavowed, and, in many cases, their mission lacked any support. No exfiltration strategy led to various tough scenarios, in one of which Spector was KIA. Pressed by an ever-growing Soviet threat, S.H.I.E.L.D. began to look for a suitable replacement, an invitation to which Vanko eagerly accepted. He'd had a pet project, started in Russia, called the Dynamo. An armor, not unlike the Iron Man suit (though appropriate for its time) that granted the wearer enormous strength and durability. Indeed, it was the reason Vanko had been accepted in the United States at all."

"With such a heavy hitter, the Initiative began targeting larger communist bases, mostly established in secret outside the Soviet Union. The armor was redubbed by its victims as the Crimson Dynamo, due to its obvious lethality. This...carnage, however, became too much for Mockingbird, the team's leader. And so, she left S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving the team, once again, incomplete. Eventually, the higher-ups realized Morse had been right; once again, the power had gone to Vanko's head, albeit in a lesser capacity than it had with Payne. The man grew to lust for blood, destroying bases to the last man, even when they surrendered. Vanko's armor was taken from him, and he was exiled, leaving Masters as the only man left."

-"So where did you come in, again?" -asked Scott.

Hank shot him a slight glare. "I'm getting to that. Fury, who did not wish for his project to be shelved again, joined the Initiative himself. Peggy asked for my help, as well, and though I initially refused, she convinced me that the world needed the Ant-Man. I joined in, but the team was, again, broken up, this time by Masters' disappearance during a mission in Bogota. It's why I had a hard time remembering his voice - for all intents and purposes, the man was considered dead. Fury gave up, then, and returned to the Academy as a trainer. The Initiative was officially disbanded, and I was left as a consultant, occasionally donning the suit again when the communist threat was too large for me not to. Your mother joined me in these missions eventually, and the rest, as they say, is history."

Hope nodded, thoughtfully. "What I still don't get is your distrust of the Avengers. Sure, they make their mistakes, but they've stayed together - even though their personalities seem to clash, and their numbers are at least twice that of yours."

The old man sat, defeated. He looked at his daughter, fully armored, with a wistful air. "Perhaps, Hope, I am reminded of what I lost, of what the Initiative could've been. I am forced to realize just how much of my life has passed, and what my legacy is. Or was, until you came back into my life. Maybe...maybe I'm just old and bitter."

Hope hugged her father, reassuring him. "It's ok, Dad. It's ok." -she said, rubbing his back.

Scott, never one to let a moment last, cleared his throat. "We kind of have to contact them, though. Ultron, remember? HYDRA base still left standing?" -he said.

Hope rolled her eyes at him, and Hank sighed once again. "I suppose you are correct. I still refuse to speak with Stark, though." -he said grumpily, crossing his arms.

The couple laughed, their worries momentarily silent. Trust Tony Stark to liven up any situation, even without his presence.

* * *

 **That was...surprisingly easy to plot. Not so much to write, but well, it's a bit of necessary world building. I took a couple of creative liberties with the time scale, but aside from that, it mostly fits with the MCU. I know Bobbi Morse is a thing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but for the purposes of my Marvel Universe, season 2 is irrelevant, so I'm repurposing her. Who knows? She might still be around somewhere...**

 **In any case, that was today's chapter. What did you think? I eagerly away your reviews/PMs! Until next time - Darthkvzn**


	6. Chapter 6: (Aggressive) Negotiations

**Eh, this came out pretty short, but I think it works out. The Taskmaster gets a business proposition, Hope and Hank are planning an aggressive business move, and Scott...well, he's just along for the ride. Enjoy! - Darthkvzn**

* * *

Whatever Scott expected to see in Hank's backyard after that long exposition, it wasn't a napping Taskmaster. The mercenary had fallen asleep on the enlarged gnome, which made for a ridiculous picture. One he took and sent to Cassie, obviously.

Hope walked beside him. "Am I the only one wondering what my life has become?" -she asked dryly.

-"Nope. I think the gnome's thinking that, too." -said Scott.

The Wasp swatted his shoulder playfully, rolling her eyes. "Right. _You_ get to wake him up." -she declared, backing up and readying her Stingers.

Scott gulped, but nodded, lowering his helmet. He supposed it might put him on edge, waking up to a pair of dull red eyes over you, but that's what the shrinking Vibranium/Plasteel suit was for, after all. His finger hovering over the shrink button, he poked the man in the side.

Not half a second later, a sword was unsheathed and thrust into the space he _had_ been occupying before shrinking, which meant he'd landed on the blade. He went full-sized again, making the mercenary drop the sword, but by that time, Taskmaster seemed to have come to his senses, clearing his throat.

-" _ **I had supposed this went without saying, but clearly, I was wrong. Do NOT wake me up if you value your life, shrinking suit or not.**_ " -he said, sheathing his sword.

Scott, despite his fighting stance, gulped. There was _something_ about him casually discussing killing that unnerved the hell out of him. "Ok, I get it. We'll just use an alarm next time."

The Taskmaster cocked his head. " _ **I assume you've got the coin, for you to say that.**_ " -he said dubiously.

Ant-Man looked at Hope, who nodded slightly. "Sort of. How'd you like a paid job?"

-" _ **Depends on the job. And the pay, of course. I'm not usually one to stay in one place for long.**_ " -he said, crossing his arms.

Scott frowned. "Why not? Someone out there looking for you?" -he asked.

The mercenary hesitated for a second, before shrugging. " _ **Could be.**_ "

-"It's your memories isn't it?" -asked Hope, gently.

Taskmaster turned sharply toward her. " _ **If you mean I feel some kind of remorse, you'd be wrong.**_ "

Hope shook her head. "We know about your condition, Taskmaster. You lose your memories in favor of gaining more battle techniques, don't you?"

The man looked between them, tense. " _ **You're not telepaths, I can tell. So that means you're with S.H.I.E.L.D.**_ " -he said, drawing two guns from their holsters.

-"WHOA, whoa, hey, man, we're not affiliated to S.H.I.E.L.D. at all. We know someone who was, though, and he knows about you. In fact, he used to work with you, before you disappeared in Bogota. And he'd like to work with Tony Masters again." -said Scott, holding his arms up placatingly.

The Taskmaster didn't lower his guns, but his taut muscles relaxed slightly. " _ **Tony Masters...is that my name? It sounds ridiculous**_."

Scott snorted. "You're in San Fran _sokyo._ Have you heard the names of the superheroes in this city? Trust me, your name is perfectly fine. We have your S.H.I.E.L.D. file - we'll give it to you for free. But Hank was hoping you'd stay around for a while."

Masters holstered the guns. " _ **Pym, you mean.**_ " -he said, clearly stalling.

Hope nodded. "Dr. Pym worked with you in S.H.I.E.L.D., first providing your technology, then as a teammate in the Initiative. You were one of the first Avengers, alongside Mockingbird, Moon Knight, Crimson Dynamo and the Ant-Man." -she said.

The mercenary took this information in, seemingly lost in his thoughts. After a few seconds, he turned to Scott. " _ **You're not Pym, of course. Too young. I do not recall anything about this...Initiative you mention, but I remember the people. Their strengths and weaknesses. Combat styles, even their gait. And Pym I met a long time ago, for him to be wearing the suit still.**_ " -he said.

Scott nodded. "Like I said, I've been the Ant-Man for a month or so. Hank hasn't put on the suit for at least 20 years."

-"Twenty-three, to be precise. Hello, Tony. It's good to see you again." -said Hank, walking slowly out of the house. He glanced at Hope. "You should've seen this guy, back then. Cape, shield, and skull mask, he looked like a pirate turned creepy superhero."

The Taskmaster crossed his arms, huffing audibly. Scott snickered, but pat the mercenary's armored shoulder. "It's alright. Before the upgrade, I used to look like a biker. Or a really screwed up bondage practitioner. There was leather _everywhere_." -he said, shuddering.

-" _ **You're looking old, Pym.**_ " -said the Taskmaster, offering a hand.

-"I imagine you look the same under the hood, Tony. Delayed aging seemed to be a common theme when trying to reproduce the Super Soldier Serum." -said Hank, returning the gesture.

Taskmaster scoffed, then lowered the hood and pressed a button on the right edge of his mask, which detached it with a hiss. "I grew a beard." -he shrugged.

-"I thought you were Tony Masters, not Jason Statham." -said Scott dryly. The man truly looked like the british actor, though he had a full head of short hair, and his cheeks were a little more hollow.

Masters looked at him strangely. "You do know my memory is almost exclusively dedicated to combat, right? Because I feel like we've covered that once or twice." -he said sarcastically. Hope laughed and Hank grinned. "In any case, color me interested. What kind of cash are we talking here?" -he asked.

Dr. Pym nodded towards his house. "Come on in, Tony. We'll talk business inside."

* * *

-"So, what'll you hire me for?" -said the Taskmaster, looking distinctly out of place drinking tea in the mansion's dining room.

Hank sat comfortably at the head of the table, reminding Scott of the events a few weeks back. "I would suppose you're familiar with the Avengers?" -asked Hank.

Masters nodded. "Of course. In my line of work it's impossible not to."

-"How confident are you that you could take them in a fight?" -asked the Doctor, narrowing his eyes.

Taskmaster rubbed his beard, thinking. "The Captain should be easy, so should the Widow and the Hawk. I wouldn't try fighting Hulk one-on-one, but I hear that's no longer an issue. Thor is surprisingly simple to defeat if you can get him to fight you without his glorified mallet. I do not believe I could defeat Iron Man without significant damage to myself, however." -he said, then leaned back in his chair. "I thought you guys were heroes. Are you seriously asking me to off them?"

Hank smiled. "No, not at all. Like them or not, the world still needs the Avengers. However, we'll be turning up at their home, armed and bringing their worst enemy to their doorstep. While I fully trust that Scott and Hope could walk away from a fight with them unscathed, I would rather have some insurance."

Masters frowned. "And bringing a known mercenary as your insurance would be a good idea, why?"

-"When Romanoff dumped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files to the Internet, I noticed several things missing - my identity as the Ant-Man and the Pym Particles went completely unmentioned in any of the files, for instance. That's when I figured out that while the Black Widow _had_ exposed HYDRA and many of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s confidential archives, someone, presumably Stark, had filtered some of the more dangerous shit from the exposé. The entirety of the Avengers Initiative was amongst those withheld."

Masters narrowed his eyes, then widened them somewhat. "That means they know who I am."

Hank nodded. "Precisely. I imagine they won't be too pleased to see you, but your past as an Avenger should get you some leeway with the modern incarnations. Besides, if my sources are correct, they are in for a lot of trouble after the whole Ultron debacle. I believe having what's presumably the last drone, or at least a lead to any that they missed, should get them to hear you three out." -he said.

-"And just what will we be saying to them?" -asked Scott.

Hope smirked. "While you and I were busy looting the the base, Dad got some of his ants to do some intel acquiring - we found out HYDRA has something big planned for the West Coast, and, barring the young superheroes of this city, we're sorely lacking defenders."

-"According to their tentative schedule, whatever their plan is, will take more than a year to develop, which gives us ample time to achieve the objective of this next mission you'll all undertake." -said Hank, said smirking.

-"You'll be blackmailing the Avengers into splitting off and/or creating a West Coast division."

* * *

 **It looks weird, having Taskmaster speak without highlighted text. But that's solely reserved for when he's wearing the mask. As I said, he kinda looks like Jason Statham in my mind. His costume is based on the Udon version of his suit, and the jab Hank makes is because of his original suit (which looks a bit silly, as early comic book characters tended to). Taskmaster has a shortsword, two pistols, a compact crossbow, a myriad of non-lethal and lethal grenades, and a collapsible marksman's rifle as his equipment. He'll be around for a while, so I figured you'd benefit from this information.**

 **San Fransokyo is mentioned again, and the Big Hero 6 are referenced. As to whether they'd be a part of this theoretical West Coast Avengers, I have not yet decided, so if you want it to happen or not, give me a yay or a nay, if you'd be so kind. I'll even go back and retcon any Big Hero 6 fics to have it make sense.**

 **Any questions? Hope you enjoyed! - Darthkvzn**


	7. Chapter 7: (Re)Pairs

**Oh hey! I've been very slowly writing due to life getting in the way. Some of the stories I write are not Marvel-related (shocking, I know), and thus require an entirely different line of thought. Anyway, sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I have a feeling you'll either love it or hate it. Maybe - Darthkvzn.**

* * *

-"This is a terrible idea." -said Scott, later that night.

Hank smiled wryly, while Hope watched for her father's reaction. "How so, Scott? We are going to the Avengers after all, just as you wanted in the first place. Plus, if all goes to plan, we'll have you as one of the founders of the West Coast Avengers, possibly its leader."

-"Ok, sure, but if it _doesn't_ go to plan, we're risking jail time in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility or worse. Plus, when I said we should call the Avengers, I meant that we should ask for help, not _force them into it_." -he said, visibly distraught.

Hope crossed her arms. "What would you have us do, then? Just hand over the drone to them and hope they'll come to our aid in time, when the HYDRA plan comes to fruition?"

Scott shook his head. "No. I say we hand over the drone, and _ask_ them for their help. This whole thing? It hinges on there being _something_ big to fight against in the future, but we have no idea what it could be. No one alive has more experience fighting HYDRA - we shouldn't immediately get on the wrong side of those people."

-"Says the man who got into a brawl with the first Avenger he met." -quipped Hope.

The man grimaced. "That was different. I was very honest about the whole thing. He just wasn't buying it."

-"So you'll be honest now, too, but this time, you'll have proof. It doesn't _have_ to be blackmail. Say you want to play the diplomat - that's fine, but you'll have to hope they believe you, and agree with our assessment of the situation. As you said, _something_ is going to happen, and we don't know what. We can't exactly go forward without some help." -said Pym.

Scott sighed, looking back and forth between his mentor and his girlfriend. " _Fine_. Just don't deny me the chance to say 'I told you so' when this goes horribly wrong."

Hope smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Scott scoffed, a small smile in his face.

Hank clapped his hands ceremoniously. "Well! Now that you two are being mushy again, I do believe it's time for me to take my leave and tinker. Robotics are not my field of expertise, but I'd like to take a crack or two at that very interesting drone you brought"

 _That_ brought Scott short. "Uhhh, that's not just any old cutesy drone. You know that, right? Cities dropping from the skies and all?" -he said hysterically.

Hank hummed. "Countries, technically. Sokovia used to be a city-state, after all."

Hope shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "I think you're missing the point. Or deliberately ignoring it, knowing you."

Dr. Pym gave her an _I'm older and wiser_ look. "Stark, for all his intelligence, is an idiot. I've read his report - you don't expose a newborn AI to the Internet anymore than you expose a baby to nuclear fire. It's goddamn basic."

Hope pinched the bridge of her nose. "Again. _Not the point_! Boo hoo, poor Ultron looked at 4chan and went insane. I don't blame him for that, but hundreds of people died because of his omnicidal tendencies, which I _do_ blame him for. Or did you miss-slash-ignore that, too?"

-"I've checked the damn robot's head out already. There's no residual consciousness or even code left in that drone. Ultron is well and truly dead." -said Hank hotly.

Hope looked like she wanted to blow a fuse. "You checked...!?"

Scott, who'd just kept a baffled expression on his face, piped up before the Pym family exploded. Again. "Why poke the carcass with a stick, though? We've been doing great so far...looking for trouble is my gig, man. And _I'm_ an ex-con."

Pym shot him a weary look. "For all of his stupidity, Tony Stark's idea was sound. A peacekeeping initiative _is_ necessary, with how many new players are sprouting out of the woodwork. Even if having an AI with no oversight as its head was idiotically short-sighted, the merit of the idea has to be recognized. Improved upon, if possible."

Hope and Scott shared a worried look. Hank gave his daughter the puppy eyes. "Two days. That's all that I ask. After that, you can take the drone to the Avengers."

The younger Pym groaned in exasperation. " _Fine!_ But if your house gets turned into a meteor and smashes humanity to pieces, I'm denying any ties I may have with you."

Hank bore a hurt expression for a moment, but nodded. "Thank you. The house is yours, I'll be in the lab."

Once he was gone, Hope plopped on one of the chairs. Scott stared at where the man had gone. "Shouldn't one of us keep an eye on him? I mean, I love surprises, but Ultron waking me up would be slightly worse than the bullet ants."

Hope shot him a funny look. "You were never in any danger. Intimidation tactics, Lang, you should study those. And no, we shouldn't look over his shoulder, as much as it pains me to say it. He'd just do...whatever he's going to do, faster and less carefully. Better to just plan for contingencies."

-"Right. I'll get Captain America on the hotline." -said Scott, sarcastically.

Hope snorted. "You joke, but I actually have a way to contact Tony Stark."

Scott's eyebrow raised. "Rich S.H.I.E.L.D. babies, huh?"

-"We used to be pretty friendly as kids, but no, that's not what I meant. I've gone bar-hopping and shoe-buying with Pepper Potts more times than I care to count." -she said, nonchalant.

-"You're friends with one of the most powerful CEOs on the planet, who just so happens to have become a superheroine in the past year. Why am I not surprised? Next you'll tell me you've had a coffee date with the Black Widow."

Hope laughed. "No, but I have met her, before the Avengers formed."

Scott's eyes bugged out. " _Whoa_. So, how hot was she?"

-"Smoking." -she replied dryly.

-"Little bit less than you, then."

Hope rolled her eyes, but her small smile betrayed her feelings. "Charming, as usual. Now come on, help me out of the suit. It needs a washing."

She walked off, leaving Scott to wonder if vibranium suits needed to be sent to the dry cleaners.

-"I'm not wearing an undersuit, Lang." -yelled Hope.

If Scott walked a little faster than usual after that, well, there was no one to notice except for ants.

Down in the lab, Hank Pym was reminiscing.

A long time ago, before he'd given up on the suit, he'd had an idea, one born in the wake of the grief he felt after Janet's loss. Retrieving her from the subatomic realm was a fool's errand, and Hank Pym was no fool. The human mind was simply not currently capable of comprehending the concept, something that would be proven true once Scott came back from it, with no real recollection of the events.

So, Hank had had a plan. Even his brilliant mind couldn't understand the Quantum Realm. But what if he had not one, but two of the brightest brains on the planet working on it? Better yet, what if those two could build another, one that _could_ understand?

Howard Stark was a technological genius. Hank Pym was not _too_ shabby at biology.

Ultron would excel in _everything_.

Artificial Intelligence was barely in its infancy back in the 80s. Howard was...aging, and frustrated with his fruitless search for Captain America, something Hank had never really understood until Janet sacrificed herself, even if it wasn't love, but duty and loyalty, that drove Stark. Convincing him was hard, but Peggy helped. They were supposed to be humanity's shield, but they were still only human. Some bad guys got away with it. What if they had a better shield? What if it could protect you from all angles, and predict attacks before the enemy even thought of them?

Howard had a son. And even though he lacked in the parenthood department - much like Hank himself - he did love Anthony to bits. Howard didn't have much time left. Ultron could keep him safe. He would keep _everyone_ safe.

The Ultron program was booted for the first time in November 7th, 1984. It immediately tried to take over all S.H.I.E.L.D. systems, and was thus terminated.

Unrightly so, as Hank would figure out once he saw the HYDRA Helicarriers fall into the Potomac. Ultron had just been trying to end their corruption, and his quickness had startled them into thinking his intent to be genocidal in nature.

As to where modern Ultron had come from, it wasn't hard to figure out, if you knew enough. On the rare occasions Howard had been around a still-childlike Anthony, he'd told him stories of Ultron, the Smartest Man That Wasn't, and the boy would eat them up. Howard used to joke that if they couldn't finish Ultron, Tony would take up the job in time. Boy, that one was almost prophetic.

Anthony had completed Ultron, alright. The program Hank and Howard had built was not truly intelligent, couldn't have feelings or opinions. The younger Stark had given him that, and more. Problem was, he'd used alien tech recovered from a crazy god to do it. Ultron's original directive and framework pushed him to save the world, to guard and cherish humans first, but life in general. The Chitauri computer he'd been married with had obvious, human killing intent - it had been found in a bladed sceptre, for God's sake. 2+2 equaled omnicidal psychopathic AI, in this case.

Right motives, _entirely_ wrong methods.

Hank felt sad, lying to his daughter. Especially considering Ultron's creation had taken much away from their relationship. He also felt a tiny bit bad for lying to Scott, too. He was definitely growing a soft spot for the young hero.

Ultron was very much alive. He must've managed to send out a backup before his defeat, on Sokovia. The consciousness was...fragmented, the programming even more so. Hank wasn't sure if it was a result of battle damage, or just his mind degenerating as he became insane. Pym personally hoped for the latter - with the right code, and some proper therapy, Ultron could be saved, and then he'd save everyone. Hank just needed some time...

The drone's systems flared to weak, blue life, turning red after a second.

-" _Ow."_

* * *

 **I like to think this pleases the comic fans, while acknowledging what happens in the movievers. At least, I hope that's the case. Pym is still Ultron's original creator, and Tony finishes it with weird alien tech. In any case, that's headcanon for my 'verse. Any questions? - Darthkvzn**


End file.
